Failed Delivery and Exception Workflows Management for Delivery and Field Service

What this means for distribution businesses

When a delivery fails because nobody is home, you need a structured workflow, not a phone call. The driver selects "customer not home" from predefined failure reasons, takes a photo of the door, and the system automatically schedules a retry for tomorrow or triggers a return-to-depot. Courier operations can define different workflows per failure type: damaged items route to returns, access issues trigger a customer notification with rescheduling options. For grocery distributors, a failed cold-chain delivery triggers immediate return-to-depot to preserve product quality.

What this means for field service businesses

A technician arrives to find the customer not home, the access code does not work, or the required parts are wrong. Failed delivery workflows give them structured options instead of making a phone call. HVAC engineers can log "parts missing" with a photo, triggering automatic parts ordering and a rescheduled visit. Pest control technicians denied site access can select "access denied" and the system notifies the customer with new booking options. For electrical contractors, a "site not ready" failure reason triggers a notification to the project manager with the technician's photo evidence.

How it works

• Define failure reasons per task type: not home, access denied, wrong item, site not ready
• Each failure reason triggers a configurable workflow: retry, return, reschedule, or escalate
• Drivers attach photos and notes to the failure record for evidence
• Automatic notifications inform customers and dispatchers of the failure and next steps
• Failure analytics show patterns by reason, location, customer, and driver